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I love this movie so much

Sick Product of a Sick System

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Sidney Lumet's 2007 film "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is a drama/crime thriller about two brothers who decide to solve their money problems by robbing a jewelry store, and not just any jewelry store. It's a "victimless crime" argues the older brother and mastermind (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). The younger brother (Ethan Hawke) is hoodwinked into the harebrained scheme, but makes the mistake of adding a third person to the mix. From there it's a steady downward spiral.Marisa Tomei plays Seymour's wife and, although her character is shallow, materialistic and immoral, Marisa never looked better (at 42). She appears in a couple of very adult-oriented scenes, so stay away if that deters you.Albert Finney plays the grieving and vengeful father.The story is akin to 1998's "A Simple Plan" in regards to a money-making scheme gone awry. The difference is that the loot in "A Simple Plan" was drug money from a crashed plane and was basically up for grabs. Consequently, the characters are never viewed as criminals by viewers; they're just regular folks taking advantage of a pot of gold thrown into their laps. It's their lust for filthy lucre that is their downfall.By contrast, the scheme in "Before the Devil" is a clear-cut crime right out of the gate, even though Hoffman justifies it as victimless. With the possible exception of the whimpering Hawke character none of the people win the viewer's sympathy. They're getting exactly what they deserve.Another problem is the ending. The scenario in the hospital room is unrealistic. A 3/5 Star review by a physician gives the details of why this entire scene is implausible. Check it out (Amazon reviewer Judith S. Inouye, June 2, 2008).That said, the film is expertly made. Roger Ebert gave it a perfect score. Some complain about the mixing of chronology, but I found the story structure well done, interesting and easy-to-follow.The main problem is that the film revels in the worst in humanity. Take, for instance, Hawke's ex-wife who can't say one word to him without cussing and sheer antagonism. Or how about a peripheral character's brother who seeks to extort money from Hawke, an obnoxious tough guy who evidently thinks he's immortal (Michael Shannon)? Or what about the father, Albert Finney: Can the tragic events in the story be an opportunity for him to search his own heart and work toward positive changes, investigate the "sins of the fathers", discuss things, etc.? Forget it. With the possible exception of one character these people are too far gone.So what's the point? Don't commit crimes to make fast cash? Don't develop an expensive drug habit? Don't marry a selfish, unfaithful, materialistic woman? Don't marry a witch with a capital 'B'? The sins of the father will pass on and multiply? Arrogant tough guys must die? Some people live off the evil of others? Perhaps all the above."Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is a hard film to rate. It's well made and maintains your interest. Most importantly, it lingers with you, which is the main reason I recommend it. It offers wisdom to stay on the straight and narrow. But, come on, can't we have ONE person with redeemable qualities, even if it's an enlightened change of heart? Thankfully, one person might fit this description at the end. I give it a B+ but I can understand why some rate it lower and others higher.The film runs 117 minutes and was shot in Queens, Manhattan and White Plains, NY.

I was reading a review of another film recently that referred to this film and decided to give the IMDb page a look. I was surprised to see it got such high reviews. I'm no sloucher when it comes to appreciating obtuse, crafted films so I don't think I'm being hard on it here.This is a film about a robbery gone wrong, the messed up lives of the people involved, and the miserable aftermath. We've seen this type of film a hundred times before and I didn't see anything new. OK, I saw Marisa Tomei in a nude cameo but that was it (and she's getting old so that kind of ruined it for me after seeing her at her best in My Cousin Vinny). Of COURSE criminals are sad mess ups. I can tune to COPS to see losers get busted without their shirt on. I may have missed something, but the characters were one dimensional: The weak brother, the successful psycho brother, the uncaring working class father, and the pretty, aging girlfriend. Great. Held my interest for about 10 seconds.This film reminds me of Sideways which was far better at developing depth for their stereotypical characters: The pretty boy on a fling, the likable loser, the aspiring divorcée, the struggling single mother. Those characters had depth and you remembered them long after the film ended and they were mostly character actors. This film had big names and I knew what would happen about 5 minutes in. In case you don't, don't worry, they'll throw you the same obvious hints about 3 times in flashbacks.Doing a gangster film takes skill, creativity, and daring because the genre has been so well covered. Tarantino did this masterfully by portraying criminals as something they rarely are: thoughtful, tasteful, and articulate (most are losers which is why they are criminals.) This gangster film failed (for me) perhaps because it featured seemingly actual criminals who, apart from a few seconds getting shoved into a police car without a shirt on, are not that interesting.

This film had the potential to be one of the very best of 2007, due to the script, but it was wasted. The direction kinda ruined the film. The non-linear narrative chosen was a mess: there was no need for it. Gratuitous, i must say. Some point of views in the story are pointless and don't add nothing to it, much the opposite. It also killed some twists in it that would be work perfectly fine. Also, i felt that the script lacked a bit of humor and dread. It's too dread in all aspects of filmmaking. The cinematography, or better, the art design, was very bad. The generic and bright gray was all over the place, and this is really a common aspect in the low budget Hollywood films that i strongly dislike. Because after all, it kills the colors of the film. Colors are essential.The soundtrack was as well generic. Just a tongue in the cheek score which plays like thrice in the entire film. Could've done a lot better. The performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman was great tough. He really did well portraying the disturbed predicted future psycho man.Anyways, this film could've done a lot better, but unfortunately it is that way and i don't recommend. 6.1/10

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead is a wonderfully done, but definitely heavy film where one bad decision leads to mayhem and tragedy. The plot sounds familiar, and in many ways this reminds me of both A Simple Plan and Fargo, but without any humor. By the end, it definitely feels heavy but also worth it. The cast is fantastic here though, most notably Finney and Hoffman, the latter of whom I think is one of the best actors working today, if not the best when it comes to complete filmography and how consistent his performances are. The only one who comes off too cartoonish here is Marisa Tomei. I thought she was great in some scenes, sort of over-doing it in others. Overall, this is fantastic, one of the best of 2007 and I cannot believe it took me this long to watch it.